Top 5 Clicks

Search Site

Follow me on Twitter

The Apple Tree

***Hi all! Here’s BONUS post no. 4! Enjoy!***

I was all groggy when I woke up that I didn’t realise I ended up crashing at Jodie’s place. Then I remembered the full night unleashing itself on me like a landslide, and I wondered if I did the right thing. If I acted the right way. Without a doubt though, I had been itching to smack Derek upside the head, and last night I got my unregretted satisfaction.

“You were awesome,” Jodie said when I walked through the dangling hippie beads that marked her doorway. “I’m so proud of you.”

I smiled. “Thanks.”

I sat next to her on the couch. Jodie was sipping tea while she watched cartoons. That was her thing, she liked to watch cartoons in the morning, especially after an intense night before.

“Derek is crazy, if I do say so myself,” Jodie said after she took a sip.

I nodded. “I’m just glad I finally slapped him.”

Jodie laughed. “Me too, and I’m glad you didn’t back hand him. Did you see the ring you were wearing last night? That thing would have knocked that fool out.”

I chuckled, my shoulders jumping. “Yeah, if only.” I sighed, slouching lower on the couch.

“I reckon you should go,” Jodie said after a silence.

“Hmm?”

“To New York,” she took another sip. “To live with Daniel. Have the courage to live the life I’ve always been afraid of.” I stared at Jodie, not knowing what to say. “You know,” she started again, “when I was little, there was an apple tree—I don’t remember where—and I was too short to grab an apple. My father always told me to wait and it’ll fall or wait and maybe I’ll grow up tall enough to be able to pull one out one day. But I didn’t like the thought of waiting; kids are too impatient at that age. So one day, after ignoring my father’s attempts at keeping me patient, I ended up climbing the tree. Getting this particular apple, in my mind, meant that it’d be juicy and just succulent in my mouth. I had been eyeing this particular one for a while too. When I leaned out to grab it, I lost my footing and ended up falling on my ass,” Jodie laughed, and I giggled with her, “my father was furious. I scraped my knee pretty badly and my blood was rushing like crazy, as if a whole new life had been lived and livened in this split second moment in time.”

“Did the apple taste good?” I asked, after she paused.

Jodie grinned. “It was the best tasting apple in the world,” then she looked at me. “But my point is, if you just wait for whatever it is that you’re waiting for, the moment just might pass you by.”

“If you waited, though, you would have grown tall enough in time to pick the apple or for it to fall.”

“I could have. But those things didn’t even come close to the feeling of the liveliness I had lived in that moment. Look, we all fall, we all scrape our knees, shit happens; but only you can make them happen. Only you can live your life instead of just being alive. Only you can get in your own way. Not me, not the other girls, not Dick-Von-Derek,” we laughed again. “Just,” she ended, “do me this one, Anna, and live your life the way you want to live it. Don’t think so much about the consequences, just do it. Nike had it right when they came up with that slogan you know.”

“Why are you telling me all of this now?” I asked, my heart turning to mush.

“Because I know how much you want to go,” Jodie replied, a smile sneaking its way onto her lips. “I’m not telling you to go, I’m not telling you to not go; I’m just telling you to do what you want to do. Climb that badass tree and fucking do you, don’t wait.” I stared at Jodie; she shrugged. “That’s my two cents anyway.”

I watched as Jodie took another sip and returned to the cartoon that we both were missing out on. I threw my arms around Jodie in a tight bear hug.

“Whoa,” she said, “watch the tea.”

“I love you, Jodie,” I said.

“I love you too, Anna.”

“You’re cool, you know that?” I asked, parting from her.

She nodded. “I know.”

I laughed and smacked her on her thigh. We continued the rest of the morning, watching cartoons and drinking tea.